Team Eeveelution
by nixnax707
Summary: Four Trainers. Four Eeveelutions. Aria Blue is a 14-year old going on an journey in Sinnoh to pursue her ultimate dream- to become the Champion. However, she won't be travelling alone. Along the way they form friendships, discover love, and experience crazy adventures! What could possibly be more in store for Team Eeveelution?
1. Prologue

**Hi! So yeah, this is my first Pokémon fanfiction and I seldom watch the series anymore(but thanks to my brother, I became updated again. And I only play the games, most of the time), so I tried my very best to research about everything and all so YEAAAHHH~~~ If I have mistakes, please don't lash out at me and just notify me in a nice way. XD**

 **PS. Shoutout to my three friends who own 3 of the main characters in here! I KNOW Y'ALL BEEN WAITIN FOR DIS~**

 **Okay I'll stop ranting; you may now proceed reading…**

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 **Prologue – And The Adventure Begins!**

 _January 12._

 _The night's silence was disturbed by the cries of the new additions to the town, a pair of twins with different genders. They have a major resemblance to the woman who was holding them gently in her arms. Their white strands of hair matched their mother's. A man was crouching beside the woman, caressing their fragile cheeks with his hands that seem to be larger than one of the infant's head._

" _Shh now," their mother hushed them while carefully rocking them in her arms back and forth, and snuggled her nose to theirs with a smile on her face. The babies eventually ceased their cries and closed their eyes, falling asleep._

 _The doctor looked at the family with joy and admiration, "Such beautiful sweeties."_

" _Thank you," the white-haired lady glanced at the doctor with a nod, giving her a smile. She then turned to the man beside her, "What should we name them?"_

 _The man chuckled in response, "I told you we should've planned with their names long before they were born. But it's a good thing I've come up with them a while ago."_

" _Speak away," the woman replied. There was silence for about two seconds before the man spoke up._

" _Emmy and Marvin Jr.?" he answered with his tone rising at the end, clearly showing that he was unsure with his answer._

" _That kinda sound stupid to me," the woman giggled playfully, earning herself a sigh from the man._

" _I'm not good with names, okay?"_

" _Alright, alright. I apologize," she smiled sweetly at him, and then looked up at the ceiling with her eyes closed, before turning to face him again with a bright smile, "I know! What about Aria and Aries?"_

" _Aria and Aries?" the man repeated her words. The woman in front of him giggled and nodded in response. "Why?"_

" _It's just that, whenever I look at their beautiful, sleeping faces, the words Aria and Aries just come into my mind. I don't know why," she replied, "Besides, I'm an Aries. So we gunna name this little guy here, Aries!"_

" _What about Aria? Does it have a significant meaning behind it?" the man inquired, slightly tilting his head to the side. The woman simply shrugged._

" _I don't exactly know what. But hey, it probably has a meaning behind it. And whatever that is, it will definitely suit her personality!" she cheered, giggling softly, "Isn't that right, Aria?"_

The infant in question only shifted in her position in the woman's arms in response, still in deep slumber _. How cute,_ the doctor thought _, I'm even surprised that they didn't wake up from their mother's loud voice._

 _She approached the couple and said, "Alright, you two. I will bring these two cuties to the Nursery. Ms. Emily, please get some rest."_

 _She bowed slightly and received the sleeping infants from the mother. She was about to turn her heel and leave when the man called out to her, "Gardenia? Can I stay here?"_

 _She glanced at her side to look at the couple, a smirk curving its way to her lips, "Of course, as long as you won't do anything to her. You two just had your first two children, and Ms. Emily must be tired from labor. Just make sure you two won't do anything tonight."_

 _The woman's face immediately flared up upon hearing this, and covered her face in sheer embarrassment. A blush brushed off of Marvin's cheeks, making it visible on his features._

 _The brunette lady chuckled in amusement at their reactions as she carefully placed the twins on a stroller, and said before leaving, "Goodnight, Marv and Em. And congratulations on your new babies."_

" _Thank you, Gardenia," the other two replied in sync, and the doctor left the room with a smile._

And that was when it all started.

 **14 Years Later**

I laid out my figure on the soft mattress, snoring softly while hugging my pillow tight. I had such a wonderful dream, with a wonderful me flying from one building to another like a majestic Staravia- but something just had to interrupt everything that's happening.

"HEY WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" my brother's voice rang in my ears. I decided to ignore him and continue to "sleep", and then moved my hand in a manner as if to shove him away. I pressed my face into the pillow and grunted.

"Damn it, Aria," he sighs exaggeratingly, "Do you know what time it is?"

That question worries me more than anything else. To be safe from pranks and at the same time, safe from sleeping in, I removed my face from sticking on the pillow and shot my eyes open, staring at him with an intrigued look on my face, "What?"

Before he could even open his mouth to answer, I was suddenly filled with too much energy and jumped off of my bed, "Shoot, oh my goshness how did I forget about it?!"

I sped towards the door and down the stairs, leaving my white-haired brother alone in my room who yelled in an annoyed tone, "Hey, wait up!"

My mother was cooking something that smells too delicious-whatever that is- while my father was busy packing up stuff into mine and my brother's bags when I arrived at the last step of the stairs.

That little outburst of adrenaline didn't end yet, though. As soon as I reached downstairs, I ran at full speed towards the kitchen and strode over to my throne in the dining room as fast as I could. Never did I know that I've been giggling and grinning like an idiot this whole time since I woke up.

"Good morning, Aria. You seem rather too hyper this morning, ain't 'ya?" dad greeted me with a chuckle, a smirk tugging the corner of his lips. My mother only sighed, shaking her head as she placed the breakfast and the plates on the table.

"She's always like this. You know that, hon," she remarks.

"And I also know that she got it from you," my father said as he stood up from the couch and went over to mother, doing some things only a couple would do. I cover the sight with my hands and complain, "Please go get a room."

They laughed and parted to go back to what they were formerly doing. I let out a sigh of relief and removed my hands from my eyes, only to find Aries sitting across me. I raised an eyebrow, "Well, that was fast."

He only shrugs in response as a baby fox-like creature, whose fur was as white as snow, hopped on to his lap. The little thing barked happily at him, then snuggled its face into my brother's chest, "Vul-vulpix!"

"Alright, make sure you guys eat enough before starting your journey. If you need anything, I'll be upstairs in my room," mom told us before walking off. Aries and I exchanged a few conversations while eating, but that was it. I couldn't remember anything else during breakfast but that, and nothing more after that than brushing my teeth, going straight up the stairs to take a bath and get dressed. I didn't daydream like the usual, nor did I trail off into nonsense topics while talking; I'm so happy that I couldn't even do anything else but prepare for the day.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my parents' bathroom. I only have an average-sized mirror in my own room, so I had to go here whenever I want to check out my full appearance. I decided to take a few twists with my look. My cream-white hair is hung down, and is topped off with a hat with the Pokémon logo on it. My bangs have grown over the months but I still have them cover the right area of my forehead, and was tucked in neatly by an X-shaped hair clip. I'm wearing a white polo-dress, my sky blue jacket being tied around my waist, a pair of lousy sky blue socks, and white walking shoes. I slung a pitch black backpack over my shoulders.

I smile at myself in the mirror, and then heave out a sigh. No matter how many times I get knocked down, I will always rise back to my feet. This League may be my second try, but at least I still haven't given up, right?

The name's Aria Blue, 14 years of age, a resident of the Sinnoh Region. My goal?

 _To become the very best like no one ever was._


	2. Chapter I

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 **Episode 1 – Off to Sandgem Town!**

"See ya, Mom! Dad! Love you two!" I exclaimed like, for the hundredth time already before finally skipping away with the baby Eevee in my arms. Looking back, my parents were non-stop waving at me as they probably thought of their daughter leaving them for another journey for the second time already.

I look down on the furry creature locked in my arms, grinning like a madman. He turned his head to look at me with his freaking adorable huge puppy eyes, and returned the grin. My heart melted as soon as I've seen this… He's so adorable I could squish him anytime!

As I continued my pace down the road, the sight of houses became fewer. Black, my Eevee's nickname, wriggled out of my arms and hopped on my shoulder, with my black backpack supporting the little thing from the back so that he won't fall. I caught up a view of some trees here and there, and also some Starlies. After a few minutes of walking, I noticed that I was already passing through the entrance of Route 201, where a mini forest is located. It wasn't until I reached the part where the path was separated into two; one to the left, and one to the right. On the left, there was a signboard saying "Lake Verity". Since that path would most likely lead me to where a certain legendary Pokémon resides, I turned to the right one.

But before taking another determined step, I inhaled a huge chunk of air before blowing it all out and fist-pumped the air.

"Alright! Bring it on, Sinnoh! Prepare your history books for I shall dominate the League and become the best Pokemon Trainer you could ever imagine!" I proclaimed, my voice echoing within the woods, jumping back from one tree to another. Oops… that provoked some of the Pokemon living here.

To top it off, Black climbed up on my head and barked the loudest thing I ever heard from him. I could imagine him waggling his tail with the silliest puppy grin. But before I could put him down back on my shoulder, a large flock of Starlies went straight towards us, scowling profusely.

"Uh-oh…" I mumbled to myself before getting pushed down on the ground by the wild Starling Pokemon. I landed with a 'thump', but I wasn't exactly worried about that. It's Black. He was knocked off of my head!

"Black!" I got up from the ground and frantically searched for the Evolution Pokemon. Hearing a whimper from the back, my eyes landed on the Eevee who was in a dazed expression. _Right_. He never got in a battle before, nor getting into a situation like this. From my peripheral vision, the Starlies were about to use Tackle and Peck again, so I quickly went to my Eevee and crouched down to protect him from the incoming attacks. I tightly shut my eyes, anticipating for the pain to arrive on my back. But it never came.

I opened one eye and noticed my Swampert violently using Surf on the flock, sending them away a few distance from us. The wave subsided as I stood up, carefully picking up Black. Ao, as I decided to call my Swampert since I first got him in my Hoenn journey, turned to me and tackled me down for a hug, catching me off-guard, "Swampert-pert! Swampert!"

I gave him a glare, "Ao! You should stop getting out of your own Pokéball without me telling you to do so. You just hurt those innocent Pokemon!"

The blue Pokemon growled happily and nuzzled my neck before going back to the confines of a his Pokeball. Until now, I still wonder how he always manages to do that without my command. Whenever I'm in danger, or one of his teammates is, he suddenly breaks out on his own and destroys those things, whatever they may be, that intent to cause harm to us. He's like the protective type of Pokemon I never had, but I'm worried about the fact that it doesn't matter to him as long as that danger is _really_ wiped out.

Black broke out of my hold once again and scurried off to the direction of the wounded Starlies. I stood up and followed him, until I saw a single Starly laying on the ground, soaking wet. Wait, weren't there about six of them? Maybe they flew away before the wave reached them? A few puddles of water were scattered here and there.. All because of Swampert's Surf… this is what I'm worried about. It doesn't matter to him even if he could possibly kill this little creature!

"Oh my gosh," I quickly knelt down to it before grabbing some HP-recovering berries from my bag and handing them out to it, "I-I'm so sorry! It was my fault for disturbing your peaceful home, a-and then-"

Sighing, I relaxed my shoulders as I watched it eating the berries I gave. Its feathers clung to its skin because of the fact that its whole body is drenched. A pang of guilt hit me, the thought of me being the cause of this bothering my sub consciousness.

"Star, Star…" it approached me, and my heart melted again at the sight of its adorable eyes. I couldn't handle cute Pokémon, especially birds! Gah! I need to get out of here before I squeeze them to death!

However, instead of running away like I should be, I composed myself and grabbed a towel from the bag, placing it on top of the Starly. Black just sat there and tilted his head.

The Starly draped itself inside the towel and lied back on the ground, poking its head out. I tried to control myself but my hands instinctively reached out to it and snuggled it close to me. At first it became wary and hostile, though the little thing eventually ceased its efforts and chirped with its voice shaking, "S-Star…."

"It's okay, Starly," I hushed, my warm breath hitting its forehead, "I really am a reckless person."

"Eevui," Black stated beside me. I glanced at him.

"Yeah, but Ao has always been like that. It isn't his fault either."

"Eevuuuiii," the fury creature shook his head at me, then turned to look at the Starly. The little thing fell asleep, probably, with its eyes closed and all.

I stood up with the Starly still snuggled under the towel in my arms, "Hey, Black? You wouldn't mind walking, ain't ya?"

As I started my pace down the dirt path, the Eevee shook his head and walked beside me. I stared down at Starly while I continued walking, "I guess we have to bring this little guy to the Pokemon Center before releasing him back to the woods. I mean, we wouldn't leave him all vulnerable back there, right?"

"Eevui!" Black beamed, as if saying 'yeah!'. Smiling, I thought of how he seems like my partner Pokemon even though I only got him this year. During me and my brother's 14th birthday, we each received a gift from my father. Aries got a baby Alolan Vulpix, while I got an Egg. Dad said he accidently left his partner Pokemon Glaceon along with a male Persian in Solaceon Town's Daycare, and they found an egg. You already know the rest of the story.

Eversince then, Black and I were inseparable, partners in crime. His personality was an exact replica of mine, and I don't even know why. I didn't give him any Evolution Stone because I want him to evolve only when he's ready. So, he's either going to be an Espeon or an Umbreon. Or maybe even a Sylveon? Who knows.

I left my mind wandering to endless thoughts as we made our way to our next destination: Sandgem Town.

"Thank you, Luna," I bowed my head in respect after the lady in pink healed Starly. He flew around the building, happy at the fact that his strength came back. Black played along too, waggling his tail as he ran around wherever Starly was flying.

"Don't mention it," she smiles, her eyes fluttering close for a second. When she was about to turn to the other Trainer on the other side of the counter, her eyes widened and her movements came to a halt. She suddenly turns back to face me and slammed her hands on the table, "Aria-san?! Is that you?!"

I spread out my arms as I flip my hair, "The one and only!"

"Holy macaroni, I mean, wow! You've changed, like a lot! I didn't recognize you immediately!" she gives me a warm Ursaring hug, then released me after a while. Her face has this look of surprise and awe, and was non-stop smiling at me, "I was really shocked there for a moment when you called me Luna. Everybody calls me Nurse Joy, except for you, the Professor, and my little brother!"

"You know, I think we should kinda talk later. There's another Trainer waiting for your assistance over there," I grinned sheepishly before gazing at the boy who was impatiently tapping his fingers on the counter. Oddly enough, that boy looks so familiar, but I just can't put my finger to it.

"What, Aria? Don't tell me you don't remember him anymore? He'll be fine there even if I won't tend to his Pokemon," Luna said, giving me a look that somehow says 'are you kidding me?' I tilt my head to the side and furrowed my eyebrows.

"Uh, no?"

She dramatically shoves her face into her palm, shaking her head in disappointment, "Oh Arceus, help this child."

"Oh Arceus, hopefully Nurse Luna would tend to me already!" a third voice butted in, sarcasm clear from the way he said it. Luna and I instinctively turned to the owner of the voice, eyes landing on the boy instead. Something about his personality, voice, and appearance, seems _very_ familiar. Just who is he..?

Luna laughed and went to him, gave him a hard pat on the back, took his hat, and messed up his black hair, "Come on, Lucas! Why won't you let your big ol' sister have this wondrous reunion with a childhood friend?"

When she said his name, hundreds of blurry memories came surging into my mind. A little boy, running around a grassy plain along with his Turtwig. The same boy who I used to watch Pokemon battles with me back then. That little boy who cried when my brother and I left for Hoenn. _Lucas, Lucas, Lucas…_ Right, Lucas! Luna's younger brother!

"Lucas?!" I blurted out his name, staring at the boy with wide eyes. I ran towards him and gave him a quick hug. Last time I saw him, he was so… tiny. But that was four years ago, and he's probably eight that time. Now he looks so different! And even surpassed my height!

"Hey, Aria-san," he greeted, waving his right hand. Even his voice was deeper! I remember him reaching higher notes than me when we were kids!

Luna theatrically heaves out a sigh of relief as she flails her hands in the air, "Gosh, finally, you recognized him. Oh…" her lively expression dropped at the sight of several trainers suddenly swarming inside the Pokemon Center. She snatches all of her brother's Pokeballs and gave them to the Audino beside her. Lucas jumped back at his sister's sudden action.

"Aria, I would love to accompany you in your stay in Sandgem but since I'm a busy woman, I'd have to leave that job to Lucas," she smiles before giving Lucas and I a quick push, "Lucas, just come back for your Pokemon later. For the meantime, have fun with Aria!"

"Since I also want to hang out with her for a while, then okay," the boy replied, putting his hat back on. I called out to Black and the wild Starly before we all left the building.

Lucas and I, along with Black and Starly, have been walking around Sandgem Town for a while now. We talked about a lot of stuff to catch up on either one's updates in life. Turns out, Lucas didn't manage to beat the Sinnoh League, too. He couldn't even beat the first of the Elite Four! I simply couldn't imagine how tough the Champion is. Neverthless, no matter how strong they may be, I still vow myself to beat them.

Lucas turned to me with his hands on his back, "So, what brings you back to Sinnoh? I thought you went for the Hoenn League."

"You wouldn't believe it. Five years in the Trainer's School and two years in the oh-so-prestigious Pokemon University wasn't enough for a wimp like me to win a league on her first time."

"Hey, don't say that. You're doing great! Besides, nobody has ever won a League on their first try… except for Red... and Cynthia."

"But I want to be the first one to do it, after Red! And Cynthia! Too bad that won't happen anymore," my eyes dropped sadly. Lucas gave me a sympathetic look, unable to respond to my statement.

Finally arriving upon the gates of a certain Professor's famed Laboratory, my blood fueled up with excitement. During my two years of studying in Pokemon University, I was a constant visitor to this lab. This was also where I received one of my prized Pokemon- a Togepi, who's now a Togetic. Lucas may be Professor Rowan's assistant, but he already set out on a journey during that time, so I never got to see him until now.

On impulse, I zoomed inside the gates and found myself inside the laboratory itself, most likely faster than the fastest Pokemon ever known. The scientists who were inside yelped in surprise as soon as I broke the doors open, just like the first time I got here. At the very rear wall of the laboratory, more devices were scattered, and a man with white hair and beard stood there with wide eyes and mouth slightly gaped open. My eyes stretched wide as I grinned excitedly.

"PROFESSOR ROWAAAAANNNNNN!"

"What in the-" he wasn't able to finish as I instantly gave him a huge Ursaring hug, squeezing the life out of the old man.

"Ughh, p-please let me go… can't b-breathe.."

"Oh, ahaha, sorry Prof," I freed the poor man from my death grasp, backing away a bit. He regains his composure and straightens his coat to prevent wrinkles. After this, he turns to look at me, smiling a bit.

He still looked the same, like how he was when I last saw him: short, spiky white hair, white beard, white eyebrows, and those grumpy-looking eyes. The Professor's like my second dad, since he's been there for me during my studies in the University. I became his assistant while Lucas was gone, and he's the one responsible for the training my first two Pokemon went through. I owe him my skills as a Trainer.

"Ah, Aria. I'm glad to meet you again. No wonder why the whole lab suddenly felt so uplifting today."

"I guess it knows I'm coming for another visit," I scratch the nape of my neck, the grin never fading away from my face. Rowan looks behind me, particularly at Lucas. The said boy took notice of this and flashes the professor a quick smile to also acknowledge his presence.

"Look at how much you've changed. You look more like a strong Trainer now! Good for you," Rowan gives me a pat on the head proudly, like I was his student and now I finally learned to take care of things on my own, after leaving the nest. I blush at the compliment, and taking this as the right opportunity, I came up with a decision to boast about my progress.

"Professor Rowan! Professor Rowan! Let me show you my team! Please give me some critics about them, and I'll be sure I'll bring out the best in them!" I beamed, jumping up and down. He chuckled.

"Alright, alright. Let's see what you've got during the past year."

"Yes! Thank you, Professor!" I hug him again before taking all the tiny Pokeballs that were attached on my bag, throwing them out into the air

"My glorious Pokemon, come out now!"

The four capsules opened as a red light flashed from each one, revealing four Pokemon in a battle stance. There stood a Metang, a Swampert, a Togetic, and a Roselia. Black let out a battle cry too and joined them in, crouching into a defensive position as he tried to growl as menacing as possible. Starly hopped off of Lucas' shoulder and went beside Black as it has this confused expression on.

"Well?" I turned to the Professor while anxiously waiting for his reaction.

"…Impressive. Clearly shows how much strength you've developed during your journey in Hoenn," he remarks, a small smile visible in his features. My heart skipped a beat at the comment.

"Th-thank you!" I grinned, bowing politely to show gratitude.

"I see that you added an Eevee and a Starly to your team, too. Good for you, since you still got two empty slots for your team," Professor continued on with his statement.

"Eh? Oh, it's only Black… er, my Eevee," I corrected him, and then held the Starling Pokemon in my arms, "I only brought Starly here because he was injured when I found him in the forest."

"She's going to release him once she's done with her little visit here, Prof," Lucas added, butting in.

I thought I saw the Professor's surprised expression for a moment, but in a blink of an eye he was back to his old stoic self. Starly wiggled out of my lock and flew on to my shoulder, nuzzling my neck while chirping happily. Professor Rowan gazed at him.

"Oh? Too bad, though. He seems to take a liking to you now," he said before beginning to examine my other Pokemon. Metang had a hard expression plastered on his face, Ao was looking as confident as possible, Roselia had this 'bish don't mess with me' face on, and Togetic was smiling while flying gracefully through the air.

While they were being observed by the Professor, I glanced at Starly. I don't think he's become that attached to me yet, like how the Professor has said. The Pokemon's gaze met mine as he chirps gleefully, and then looks outside the window. It's like he's waiting for something important to happen while he's staying with me. I don't know, but I feel like that's the reason why he looks like he's attached to me as a Trainer already.

"Ah, yes. You two, I remember you," I was snapped out of my thoughts when Professor Rowan suddenly spoke, his eyes fixed on Metang and Togetic while a tiny smile tugs at the corner of his lips, "You're lucky you got Aria by your side. She's done well with taking care of you two. Never would've thought she'd even add you both to her winning team."

"I stick to all of my Pokemon, Professor. I'd never leave them lonely in a PC box with artificial surroundings," I replied. The Professor gives me a bewildered expression as his shoulders slightly jump back at what I just said.

"What do you mean? You're actually saying that these six are the only Pokemon you ever caught?" he questions, his tone rising a little at the end.

Lucas fakes a cough, "Correction, Professor Rowan: only five. She didn't capture that Starly, well, at least not yet."

"And I don't intend to," I said, shaking my head.

"But what about your Pokedex Project? You won't fill it up?" Lucas adamantly argues.

"Yeah, what about it?" I snap back.

"Then your Pokedex is useless. You should at least try to fill it up a little to thank the Professor for giving you the device."

"No, capturing more and more poor Pokemon would only make things worse. Why fill it up when it's already completed? I thought that Red kid already did it?"

"Don't make it look like you're the one who's correct."

"But I am."

"Then-"

"Enough babbling, both of you!" Rowan's voice suddenly booms throughout the laboratory, causing the other scientists to gape at us, specifically at the Professor, in surprise. I look down in shame and regret, as so did Lucas.

"Didn't I tell you before that arguing is prohibited inside the laboratory? How many times do I need that to get to your thick heads?" Professor Rowan hisses, making me shudder in fear.

I mumbled, just a notch above a whisper, "I-I'm so sorry, Professor. I won't do it again…"

"I apologize t-too, Professor," Lucas utters as his voice was shaking. The whole lab suddenly felt like it was melting. All that was heard was some sort of grinding from a machine somewhere, the bubbling sound of a chemical solution, and our own whimpering breathing. I feel a pair of glowing gray orbs sinking deep into my soul, taking away my existence ever so slowly. Everyone around me was melting.

Yep, Rowan's got that kind of effect on us.

He sighs, slouching over to his swivel chair as he lays his face against the palm of his hand, "Apologize to each other."

"I'm sorry, Aria-chan," Lucas bows his head in front of me, his shoulders tensed up. I glance at him before apologizing back.

"I'm sorry, too. I was a little taken away by my own thoughts that I just lashed out."

"Well, now that it's settled," the Professor said as he rotates his chair to turn to the black-haired boy, "Lucas, I almost forgot that I actually have something I need you to do. Investigate the ruckus on Route 202. Heard there were some shady people coming after a family of Eevees, especially since there are also shinies."

"Understood, Professor," Lucas immediately nods at him, turning his heel. However, when he was about to head out of the lab, he faces back at us and grins, "Oh, and Aria-san?"

I look up, raising my eyebrows, "Yeah?"

"Welcome back," was all he said before turning his back once again and finally disappearing outside the doors of the lab.

"Thank you!" I beamed, waving my hand into the air as a goodbye. I'm going to miss that kid.

Luna and Professor Rowan stood behind me, ready for my departure. I made sure the straps from my backpack were perfectly adjusted so that I could walk along comfortably with it on my journey. Black jumped up and down, whining for me to carry him. I chuckled and gladly took him into my arms.

When Lucas left to do an errand for the Professor, his sister suddenly showed up into the lab and persuaded me to spend some time with her for the whole day, since according to her "she never got the chance to hang out with me" even during the three months that I stayed here in Sinnoh doing nothing. So yeah, that's exactly what happened next. She gave me a tour around the town, showed me the new stuff that weren't in the town back then, and gave me a part-time job of being a "Nurse Joy". And I got to wear a pink wig too!

It's already about five o'clock now in the afternoon, so I politely told them I have to get going.

"Well, I guess that's it then," Professor Rowan shows one of his rare smiles through his white beard, placing both hands on my shoulders, "Good luck out there and don't forget everything that I've taught you."

"Yes, Professor!" I chirped, immediately giving him a salute. Luna chuckled.

"Are you sure you won't be keeping that Starly?" the Professor gestures over to the Starling Pokemon hovering above us. I shook my head, sure of my decision.

"If that's what you really want, then I can't force you. Then, I'll be off to do my job. We'll see each other again, child," he said before turning around and walking away.

After he left, I set my gaze on the tall black-haired woman in front of me. Why black hair though, if she's a Nurse Joy? Don't get me wrong: Luna only wears a wig during her job, since she isn't one of the "Nurse Joy Daughters". She just really wanted to help out Trainers and Pokemon, just like that one lady in Unova who worked in Pokemon Centers even if she wasn't a Nurse Joy.

"So are you going to give me a sappy farewell message or what?" I asked, turning to her. I was a bit confused when she didn't reply for a long while, and just stood there, until I heard a sniff. Is she crying?

Well, duh Sherlock.

"Luna, are you okay? Did I do something wrong? Don't tell me your eyes are just sweating, I've heard that before," I tried to console her as I rubbed her back. She takes out a pink handkerchief and blows her nose.

"I-I don't want…. I don't w-want you to leave yet," she mumbles between hiccups. I held back a laugh. She really does cry over little things. I told her that before, but I only received the cold shoulder for a whole week.

"Eh…? But I have to go now, Luna-san. The sun's already setting, and I have to go into the forest and search for some place to camp out for the night," I gave my statement, hoping she'd understand my point.

There was silence for a while, and I was worried at what she would do next. However, she suddenly removed her hands from her face and stood up straight, pointing out her index finger into the air, "Ah! I know!"

"What do you know?" I slightly tilt my head to the side.

"What if you stay here for the night?" she suggested as she looked into my eyes with that anticipating expression. I quickly shook my head at the idea.

"What? No! I have to save up money first before wasting it to check into some inn-"

"No, not that!" she cut me off, then cleared her throat as she began to speak into a forced Pueblonian accent, "I shall offer thee the cleanest, most exquisite room in the Pokemon Center!"

 **/A/N: Pueblonia – more like the England in their world. Aka the peeps that live there have British accent XD**

I literally dragged my face into my hand for an exaggerated facepalm, "Don't say it like the Pokemon Center is a five-star hotel."

"But it is," she argued before changing the topic, talking in a Pueblonian accent once again, "So therefore, young lady. Is it a yes, or a no?"

"You seriously have to work with that accent."

I look off into the the setting sun by the town's port, then to Route 203 that's slowly being engulfed by the darkness. Wrinkling my eyebrows, I shut my eyes as I think deeply of my decision.

"So?" Luna asked me again. I sighed.

"Since… it's kind of late right now, and I need a good night's rest before training my team tomorrow, then I guess it's okay…"

"Yay!~" she cheered, squeezing the life out of me in another one of her Ursaring hug. Because she's much taller than me, she begins to carry my form up and up until I couldn't feel the ground beneath me anymore. Her death hug slowly becomes tighter as the Eevee I've been holding yelps out in annoyance.

"Eevuiii! Eevui Eevui!" Black's muffled voice alerted Luna to release me quickly before Black does a Tackle on her.

"Oh... I'm so sorry," she smiled sheepishly, scratching her nape. The Eeveelution Pokemon growled angrily at her before tucking his head back into my arms and finding comfort.

Starly yelps out too, "Star! Starly…"

I'm guessing that means he wants to take a rest already, so we start making our way towards the Pokemon Center.

Black leapt out of my arms and happily mingled with Starly. The two decided to play with each other while we were walking on the sidewalk, and I of course would often look behind Luna and I to check on the playing Pokemon. A moment later, we finally arrived by the huge doors of the building. The smell of ammonia and disinfectant surrounded the area. My eyes found themselves landing on the same boy I had an argument with earlier.

"Oh, hey there nee-chan… and Aria-san, you're still here?" Lucas acknowledged our presence. Luna recognized her younger brother through saying, "Yeah yeah."

I also greeted him along the way, waving a hand with a smile, "Your sister managed to let me stay for the night, but as soon as the sun shows up, I'm leaving."

"Then I'm telling my Infernape to use Sunny Day right now so you could shoo shoo," he joked. I just smiled, rolling my eyes as Luna and I walked past him, with his older sister intentionally bumping herself unto him which caused the boy to hit the wall beside him.

"Hey! That's not something a Nurse Joy would usually do!"

"Once again: it's just a part-time job, bro!" Luna reminded her brother, storming back towards him and playfully hit him on his shoulder, "And you should be the one to shoo shoo!"

"Wait, whaa-" before he could even finish his sentence, he was pushed outside the building by his sister and the girl casually walked back to me as if nothing ever happened. I only giggled at how close they were, obviously taken from the way they treat each other in a playful manner.

As soon as the other Nurse Joy, who was working for now in place of Luna, finished tending to the young Trainers on the other side of the counter, she gracefully turned to us and gave us a vibrant smile, making us feel at home, "Luna, you're here! And what may I get for this lovely lady beside you?"

I mentally cringed at the address given to me, but I took note of myself that I shouldn't lash out straight ahead and instead react a little politely to it, "Uh, please, anything but 'lovely lady'. Makes me feel… meh."

Yep, I totally failed on that polite part. "Haha!" Luna patted me hard on my head like I was some sort of puppy Pokemon, and then turned to face Nurse Joy, "For this 'lovely lady', show her to the cleanest, most extravagant and exquisite suite the Pokemon Center has to offer!"

"Roger that! Right this way please, ma'am!" the pink-haired girl jovially obliged to Luna's commands and stepped out of the premises of the counter, with Luna replacing her. As she strolled upstairs where the rooms were located, I turned my back and crouched down to call out to Black and Starly.

"Black! Come here, little cupcake," I mumbled sweetly, easily grabbing the Eevee's attention. He barked as he swiftly rushed towards me, rubbing his snout against my outreached arms. I cradled him while also calling out to the Starling Pokemon, "Starly, let's go."

"Ly? Star Star!" the bird Pokemon chirped, flying over to me and landed on top of my head.

Standing back up, I ran to the disappearing figure of Nurse Joy with hastiness in order to catch up with her. As I was trotting along, I didn't forget to turn towards the direction of the main counter and gave Luna a sweet farewell and goodnight, because I'm aware that I wouldn't be able to tell her that tomorrow since I'm leaving early. Well, _way_ too early.

"Bye bye, Luna! Good night!" waving good-bye, I told her with my voice raised so that she would be able to hear me through the distance. The girl turns around and returned the warm smile, waving as well. It wasn't long enough before more and more trainers start to swarm inside the building again, mostly looking for a place to stay for the night. With this, I turned around to face what's ahead of me as I followed Nurse Joy to the "most exquisite" suite in Sandgem's Pokemon Center.

"Here it is, Miss Blue. If you need anything, Luna and I will happily be there for your care," she bowed her head politely, her hands by her back.

I nod at her, "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

However, as I was about to step inside the room, something important suddenly tugged on my mind, reminding me what I needed to ask, "And oh… haha, um, how much is this room, by the way? Since Luna gave me the best one and all, it must be pretty expensive. Need to make sure I got some budget with me before checking in."

Feeling pretty embarrassed with myself, I placed my hand on the back of my neck, giggling sheepishly.

Nonetheless, Nurse Joy shook her head and acted as if it was totally nothing to her, "Don't worry, Miss Blue! Luna told me to give the musician in front of me free of charge for tonight. Just make sure to sleep well for your adventure tomorrow."

Dumbfounded, I tilted my head before eventually bowing it to show gratefulness, a grin adorning my face, "Really? Thank you!"

"Don't mention it! Well, please excuse me now. I have to go back and help Luna out," she muttered timidly. Chuckling, I shrugged my shoulders and told her it's fine with me. She then walked off, her hands still clutched together behind her.

After closing the door and locking it to prevent intruders from coming in, I closely observed the room's appearance, and what made it the "most exquisite" room in the Pokemon Center. I immediately understood why; the room was basically sparkling from the cleanliness, every furniture was put in order, it's larger compared to the other Pokemon Center rooms that I've been to, it has its own bathroom, there's an air conditioning unit, a patio, and the floor was **polished**. Well, everything is.

I stopped gawking at the remarkable appearance of the room and decided to actually do something. Releasing Black to do whatever he wants to do on the tiled floor, I gently removed my backpack and leaned it against the wall. I took out a pair of sky blue pajamas it and scurried to the bathroom. After taking a half bath, I went back to the room once again, and then grabbed some Poffin and a limited-edition cup noodles from my bag (it's full-duty!).

"Vui!" Black obviously caught up the smell of food and rushed over to me, excitedly jumping up and down. Starly tilted his head to the side in an astonished way, wondering what I was holding and why it made Black react so thrilled.

"Star?"

Giggling, I took out the six shallow containers that were neatly stacked from a cabinet, placing them on the tiny table at the foot of the large bed. Black had his tongue out and was still jumping up and down as I was opening the plastic bag that contained the Poffin that Mom prepared. I poured out the Poffin, equally dividing it to each plate. Without any second thoughts, Black swiftly wolfed down the Poffin on his plate while Starly was watching him from above.

"Go on, Starly. Have some," I gestured him over to the food, and he slowly inched closer towards a plate, hesitation clear in the expression that he's wearing. I don't blame him, though- I won't just eat some food given to me by someone I just met today either.

He eventually took some bites from the Poffin, at first eating slowly but gradually scarved it down just like how Black did. I grabbed the four Pokeballs that were in the small messenger bag I was sporting, and threw them into the air as each capsule opened up and revealed four Pokemon encompassed by the red light the Pokeballs just emitted.

"Roselia…"

"Pert! Swampert!"

"Me me! Metang!"

""Toge?"

"Have a nice dinner, you four," I spoke, giving each of them a soft pat. Togetic had the most adorable reaction though; she snuggled her face into the palm of my hand right after patting him!

They went to their respective plates, enjoying the meal with a pleased look on their features. I went to my own aid and scooted towards the mini kitchen the room has, preparing for the noodles. When the kettle boiled, I ravished in the sweet aroma of the food and indulged myself into the noodles itself.

My Pokemon and I, including Starly, were hanging out for sometime before I thought it was already time to go to bed. Turning to my bed, I noticed that there was extra foam lying underneath the mattress, so I tugged it out and lied it down on the floor. The room was really spacey so my Pokemon should fit on it. I got myself an extra bed sheet and covered the foam, to which my Pokemon happily responded by popping themselves on to it and rested their bodies. Yeah, I let them out of their Pokeballs during the night. I mean, I don't want them to be trapped inside the confines for too long…

"Swampert, Pert Pert? Swampert?" Ao sat up from the mattress, most likely inquiring me of the training they're supposed to get tonight. Well, when I was still having my journey in Hoenn, I'd often train them in rather harsh places during the night to avoid being distracted.

Shaking my head, I responded, "Nah, but tomorrow -early morning to be specific- we'll be working our butts off. So get some rest tonight, okay guys?"

They all cried out in agreement and determination before finally drifting off to sleep, with me switching off the lights. I washed the plates and threw out the empty noodle cup, went to the bathroom, and brushed my teeth. When I came back, Togetic, Black, and Starly were all snuggled up on the bed I was supposed to sleep on. Black was flailing his paws around as if he was in a dream. The rest made cute noises while asleep. Oh my gosh they're so adorable~~~ *^*

Good enough, they still left some space for me to sleep on the bed, but I didn't go straight there and doze off- at least, not yet. Instead, I silently tiptoed towards the patio as to make sure I won't wake up the sleeping Pokemon. I rest my arms on the rail, looking up to the stars.

There were countless of them spread over the blanket of darkness, illuminating the night. As they were shining brightly and twinkling endlessly, my mind commenced on a journey to wander around and throughout my memories and thoughts.

It has been a wonderful life for me so far; how I managed to get up from all the bullying I got during childhood, how much I've recently grown and changed as a better Pokemon Trainer, and how life has been treating so far. I mean, nothing's perfect, but I should always be grateful and satisfied for what I currently have.

My dreams are not that far for me to reach anymore.

I still remember what that strange man told me after I got defeated by Wallace, the Hoenn League Champion, during the end of my first Pokemon journey. My mind was so blurry with anger and confusion back then that I didn't know what he meant.

" _You may have trained to the full extent, but you're still missing something very important."_

 _My shoulders stiffen as a third voice was suddenly heard inside the arena. Darkness was looming over the bleachers, so I couldn't see very much of who it was. But I've located his voice, and now my body was facing towards his direction._

 _Sniffing, and mustering up with the remaining confidence that I had, I asked him what it was that I was lacking. His only reply was:_

" _ **You didn't experience real adventure."**_

I've always wondered what he meant by that. Didn't experience real adventure? What's that supposed to mean? I traveled the Hoenn region for an entire year. Isn't that enough to be considered as a real adventure? Or, maybe he just meant that I have to travel like, five regions before finally becoming a Champ?

"Ah, I'm really confused right now," I shook my head momentarily.

Before I decided to head back and sleep though, I took one last glace at the stars, my eyes gleaming at the wonderful sight sprawled in front of me, "I wonder if there are other people who are looking at the same stars as me right now?"

Meanwhile, somewhere out there up in the mountains and far away from Sandgem Town, another story unfolds.

 **Someone's POV**

It's all the same, every year- it's all the same. Everybody in the Kingdom would greet me a happy birthday, give me gifts that are too expensive and fancy, which I hate the most. It's not like I hate all these nice gestures, but in fact I am grateful for their kindness. The only thing that's bugging me is that I know they're only doing this because I'm the Princess, and the only offspring left of Queen Alicia and King Ferdinand Chance.

Everything else in here is too fancy and elegant for me to handle. All I wanted is some adventure in life. I want to follow the footsteps of my brother. My older brother… Rowe. I stared at Alexandria, my Jolteon, sadly. She looked up at me as she caresses my arm with her paw, as if she knows what I'm feeling. I actually think she does. Ever since _that_ day, all I had was Alex, and all she had was me. We both share the same pain.

I gazed outside the window, where a vast blanket of stars covered the entire sky. Below, the city lights shimmered against the dark contrast of the night, a jolly vibe emitting from them. And right there, far beyond the premises of the Kingdom, are the black and green hues of trees from the forest, where Pokémon trainers have journeyed.

Alex growled softly under my hand, a spark forming on her fur. I smiled at her, "I know you've been itching for a battle for too long, Alexandria. But don't worry, someday… we'll get out of here."

 **Finished 3/28/2017, unedited**

• **°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°**

 **A/N: holy macaroni I didn't expect this chapter to be THAT long. The chapters I write usually have about 3000 words but this thing reached MORE THAN**

 **THOUSAND! Lol see what I just did there? XD**

 **Okaayyy imma be taking my leave now, I hope you enjoyed reading this and give this fanfic lots of love and support~! 3**

 **XOXO, nixnax707**


	3. Chapter II

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 **Episode 2: An Eeveelution Encounter!**

The thin rays of the sun start to hover above in the sky, shining through the window glass where the curtains couldn't cover. They reach the dozing white-haired lass' eyes, signaling her to wake up. She jolts up and awakens her little Pokemon friends as she does her usual morning routine in a flurry. After having some nice, nutritious breakfast, she summons the Pokeballs from her bag and calls forth her Pokemon to return back to the confines of their own capsules- that is, except for Black the Eevee, and her other companion, a wild Starly.

The three of them left the Pokemon Center early, running off to Route 202 to get some training. Not only her Pokemon, but Aria also aims to train her wits and strategic techniques this time, too.

It was now past ten o'clock in the morning, the sun was completely up in the sky- but the several clouds that were passing by every now and then helped Aria and her Pokemon a lot. The weather wasn't too hot, despite it being Summer, to which the girl is thankful to Rayquaza for.

"Okay, Metang! Use Metal Claw on that log! Make sure to put all of your strength in it and crush the wood into pieces!" her voice looms throughout the small clearing they were currently in, index finger pointing out to the rotting log lying on the grass.

The Steel-type Pokemon obediently executes her command and lashes out towards the log, raising its arm in a quick and sharp fashion as its metallic claws glow a shiny silver, then slashes the old tree apart. It growls out a battle cry as the log gets broken down into smaller wooden fragments on the ground.

Black cheers for its teammate, gleefully jumping around the grassy fields while barking its language that somehow says that Metang is doing a good job. Aria giggles at her Eevee's behavior since the little thing would obviously support whatever action its teammates would initiate, so right now it's only trying its best to cheer for Metang.

"Not bad, Metang!" the girl proudly exclaims her awe, waving to her Metang from afar. The Steel-type Pokemon becomes flustered and gets even more confidence from her comment.

Massaging her chin, Aria observes at the output of Metang's attack on the log. Another boulder laying not far from there catches her attention, and she excitedly points out to it, "Hey, Metang! What about taking down that one, too?"

"Me! Metang!" the Steel-type Pokemon's slightly metallic voice replies back at its Trainer, immediately going all-out towards the large boulder. The rock was rather… too big. It was twice Aria's height, and is probably very heavy too.

 _I may have gotten a bit too fast. I should've let Metang attack a smaller boulder first before that one,_ Aria thought to herself, but later shakes her head since it's too late for that now. It's either Metang executes this advancement successfully, but end up in vain.

To her, Black, and Starly's surprise, though, the sound of a metallic body and a rock clashing signifies that the Pokemon have achieved success. Metang was allowed to use any type of move as long as the boulder would end up in the same fate as the log, and it had apparently used Zen Headbut. The Iron Claw Pokemon lets out another battle cry, satisfied at its own work.

Aria's eyes glisten at her Pokemon's yet another success, staring at Metang as if it was some Legendary Pokemon, "Woooowwww! That was so cool, Metang! I'm super duper uber proud of y-"

She was cut off as the Iron Claw Pokemon suddenly tackles her down to the ground, growling out happily. The tiny Eevee joins in the fun too, as well as their Starly companion. Their laughter of pure joy and warmth seems to have created a different, comfortable atmosphere in the clearing.

"Me Me!"

"Eevui!"

"Star Starly!"

"Okay, okay. Please get off me now. I'm kinda squished here aaand Metang's weight isn't helping," the white haired-lass sweatdrops as she struggles to wiggle her way out of her Pokemon's "Power Hug". The three Pokemon eventually detaches themselves from their Trainer, well, exaggeratingly saying, allowing her to breathe again.

Aria stands up from the ground and dusts off the dirt from her clothes, letting out a soft sigh, "It really is a big disadvantage wearing white, isn't it?"

"Vui," Black nods its head in agreement as it sits finely and proudly on the patch of grass like some trained high-class Pokemon from a wealthy family.

"Do you think I should change my attire? Something cooler that would fit me as a guitarist?" the girl grunts at herself, shaking her head in the process. Heading towards a nearby boulder that's big enough to serve as a chair, she sits on it as she rests her chin on the palm of her right hand, and began to ramble, "Will bands still offer me to join? Will I even be recognized as a guitarist right now?

"Eevui Eevui!" the Eevee approaches its Trainer and paws at her leg, with the intention to calm her down. Metang floats towards her as well, but it could only stay in its place, not exactly knowing how to deal with the situation even though it was the first Pokemon she ever had, and despite it being a part Psychic-type.

Being with her for more than six years already, Metang have always known its Trainer to be often recruited in a band because of her mad skills as a guitarist, most especially during her journey in the Hoenn Region. However, now that she is more focused on completing the Sinnoh League, it seems to Metang as though her current mindset right now made her lose sight of what's equally important.

Afterall, the lass have long since dreamt to feel a sense of belonging in a family. That is, a band.

Because of her travelling, the same scenario keeps on repeating- she gets accepted into a band, advances to another city, and the band kicks her out because she wouldn't be able to participate in shows and rehearsals anymore.

She'd always wonder how long it would take for her to find just the right group for her. And the Iron Claw Pokemon knows this.

"Metang…"

The girl gazes at her two beloved Pokemon, her heart warming up at the sight of them and their attempt to make her feel okay. She giggles, giving each of them a pat, "It's alright, you guys. I'm okay… was just a little worried for a while there."

"Vui eev eev!" Black paws at her once more, as if saying 'You'll be fine!'.

"Yeah, you're right, Black. I shouldn't be sulking over this," Aria gives the four-legged Pokemon a warm smile, before feeling something nudge at her bag. Turning around to see what it was, she finds herself looking at Metang who was actually poking its Pokeball that was clasped on a belt, to which the belt was also strapped on the bag.

"You want to return, buddy?" she asks. The Pokemon floats up, then down, to signify it saying 'yes' since it couldn't really nod…

"Okay then," Aria reaches out to its Pokeball before returning Metang back into its own confines.

The Eevee suddenly bursts with energy, constantly jumping up and down and points its nose towards the array of trees where they came from. It runs around the field in circles, barking out cries of excitement.

"Vuiiiii~!"

"I think it's enough training for today, too. Let's advance to the next level! Onwards, Black!" she exclaims, the atmosphere around her seemingly become rather uplifting. Together, she, Starly, and her little Eevee begin to march their way towards Jubilife City, the busiest city in the Sinnoh Region.

On their tracks, however, Black suddenly halts to a stop and its eyes roam around the area as if it was looking out for something. This alerts Aria, who gives her Pokemon a quizzical look. Black didn't catch her eyes though, and instead runs off to somewhere, barking on the way.

"Eeehhh?!"

"…Star?"

With eyes wide in surprise, the white-haired girl ponders off towards the direction where Black ran off to. Instantly, she grows very worried and calls out for her Eevee multiple times at the top of her lungs, but to no avail, only silence came after her shouts.

She hurriedly dashes between the trees with Starly following right behind her. Her eyebrows furrowed with complete worry, sweat dripping from the sides of her face, and breathing out nonstop pants, she calls out to Black once more, "Black! Where are you?!"

 _Now where could he have gone to?_ She thinks to herself, sighing once more.

She feels something slightly sharp latch on her shoulder, and gazes to her side to find Starly staring right back at her. The Starling Pokemon flaps its wings and chirps in a cheery tone, "Star Star! Staarly!"

Aria blinks a few times before nodding at the Pokemon, determination replacing the worry that was once filling her eyes, "You're right, Starly! Black shouldn't be that far from here yet. We just have to keep on trying until we find him!"

"Starly!" the Flying-type Pokemon beams, glad to have its human companion have her hope back. But despite that, Aria's shoulders were still tense and would not ease up until they find Black.

They went back to their tracks, searching the Route for the wandering baby Eevee. It wasn't too long before they have stumbled upon a rather lost creature, since it was frantically running around the trees. As soon as she spotted the pale cream-colored fur on the fox-like Pokemon, Aria quickly recognizes it, but still held up her Pokedex to register the Pokemon.

/ _Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokemon and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its Trainer's arm as they walk together./_

"Sylve!" the Sylveon trudges towards the white-haired lass, and then gazes up at Starly.

"Star!" Starly gets off of Aria's shoulders and flies low to greet the newcomer. Aria stares at the Sylveon in amazement, wondering where it could have come from. Sylveons weren't really a local in Sinnoh and would certainly be owned by a Trainer, since an Eevee would only evolve into a Sylveon when it reaches max affection for its Trainer.

A noticeable silvery shine catches Aria's attention, squatting down to reach Sylveon's height as she spots a collar hung around its neck with a metal plate at the front. Reaching out towards the material, she looks at Sylveon for permission, to which the creature agreed to. Her hands touch the plate; it was small, but big enough to read the name that was engraved on it.

 _Sylvester_

"You must be a boy then, huh? Judging from your name," Aria withdraws her fingers from the collar, moving her hand towards the space between Sylveon's ears to give it a gentle pat. The Sylveon seems to like it though, as it was closing its eyes in happiness and nuzzles its head against Aria's hand. The girl's heart, once again, melts at the sight; she becomes rather weak when it comes to situations like this.

"Don't worry, we'll find your Trainer soon," she said, standing up as she gestures for "Sylvester" to follow her, "My Eevee also left on its own so I guess we could look for your Trainer while searching for Black too. Oh, he's nicknamed Black by the way, so don't get confused."

The Sylveon nods its head understandingly, making its way beside Aria as they continued their pace on the dirt road. Starly swoops up again and flies around in hopes of finding Black (and Sylvester's Trainer as well), but still made sure to stay close to its human companion.

While they were walking around, it eventually occurred to Aria about what Professor Rowan had told Lucas to do before they parted ways. Her eyes land on the mammalian Pokemon, whose bow-like feelers swayed in the wind as they were walking.

 _I did remember the Prof saying something like there's a bunch of shady guys after a family of wild Eevees around this area,_ she thought to herself, _Well, the old man told Lucas to take care of it and I'm pretty sure he handled it successfully, but still…_

 _Does this have something to do with Sylvester and Black?_

Her mind races back to what happened not too long ago, when Black suddenly ran off without saying anything, and this pretty little Sylveon they found, who's apparently owned by a Trainer, too. Basically saying,the little guy also ran away from its Trainer and ended up getting separated from him/her. Both parties experiencing the same fate with their precious Pokemon.

"Starly," she called out to the Pokemon that was flying around her and Sylvester, catching its attention.

"Ly?" it questions the girl as it drew near her, head adorably tilted to the side.

"Could you fly above the trees and get a bird's eye view? Maybe that would help us to find Black and Sylvester's Trainer \ " she says, earning a brief reply from Starly before it glides up in the air, stopping when it was high enough.

Shielding her eyes before looking up, she raises her voice so that the flying Pokemon would hear her, "Hey, Starly! Anything going on over there?"

Starly's eyes widen in surprise as it suddenly speeds off, emitting a low cry. This caught Aria and Sylvester off-guard as the two of them instantly follow the direction where Starly just flew off, being certain as much as possible that they wouldn't lose sight of the Flying-type Pokemon.

"Oh, Starly! Not you too!" the girl yells at the sky between pants.

Then, they felt the ground shake. It was only for a moment, but was enough to make Aria and the mammalian Pokemon concerned. Both of them froze in their position; however they eventually regained their composure as Aria quickly scans her surroundings, eyes set ablaze with fear and worry.

"What the-"

Her sentence once again was cut off, when, the ground seems to shake again- but this time, it was strong enough to catch Sylvester off-balance. Aria instinctively comes to its aide, helping it stand back up on its four feet.

From her peripheral vision, Aria spots some sort of smoke rising up towards the clear blue sky. _Maybe an explosion,_ she turns around to face where she thought it came from, but only found herself staring at more vegetation- plants, plants, and plants. Possibly even berries. Or, perhaps some wild Pokemon are living among the clumps of leaves and branches. It was rather far, about a hundred meters from where she's standing. Well, none of those facts matter to her now as she runs towards it, with Sylvester right behind her.

Upon nearing it, their ears "perk up" as they hear… cries. They weren't able to hear it clearly at first but as they drew closer, the muffled sounds revealed themselves.

"Pokemon! They sound like they're in pain!" Aria gasps, her hand covering her mouth. She assumed this was where Starly took off, too. Gesturing for Starly to follow her, they followed another dirt path that seems to go around the clumps of vegetation.

Taking another turn, they arrive at another clearing by a rocky slope. But this time, it wasn't in any way as pleasing and peaceful as the area where Aria had trained her Pokemon just this morning.

Shocked, they look at the sight sprawled out before them.

A Leafeon, a Flareon, and five other baby Eevees were trapped inside cage with iron bars. At the center of the cage was a rather large and at the same time, long tube in an upright position. Aria's eyes trailed up until she saw that the tube's mouth became wider, much like a funnel, but much, _much_ bigger.

And what's more- one of the Eevees has its fur sparkle a shade of gray! A shiny Eevee!

"Sylve! Sylve!" Sylvester pounces on the iron bars and uses Swift, but the cage didn't even have a single scratch on it. The Flareon approaches the pink mammalian creature as it paws at the bars, its eyes pleading for help.

"It seems to withstand Pokemon attacks… I've never seen one like this before," Aria mumbles quietly.

What they didn't notice was that a boy has arrived on the other side of the cage. However, instead of the trapped Pokemon, what first caught his attention was the Sylveon that was attempting to break down the cage.

"Sylvester!" the boy quickly runs around the cage and tackles the male Sylveon down in a hug, his face pressed against the creature's neck and a grin as wide as the ocean adorning his face. The Sylveon happily responds to the boy's actions as he licks the Trainer's face.

But they aren't the only reunited ones in here. As Aria watched the boy running towards Sylvester, she noticed another presence beside him- her very own Eevee, Black.

Well, Trainers recognize their own Pokemon once they've started a bond together.

Aria happily rushes towards Black, while the latter also ran at full speed towards its Trainer. When they were finally at each other's grasps, Aria embraces the Evolution Pokemon with a relieved look on her face. Black has its eyes closed as it gleefully barks.

The two Trainers and their respective Pokemon were too happy to see each other again that they didn't even see another newcomer entering the scene.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Aria and the boy both gasp as they turn their heads to the owner of the voice

There on top of the cage was a redhead in some sort of spacesuit with a letter "G" printed on her uniform. She was holding a Pokeball on one hand, tossing it up and down while her other hand was placed on her hips. Her mouth was twisted into a grimace as she looks down on the two Trainers.

"Hey, I know you!" Aria accusingly points at the lady, "You're one of those Team Galactic people who planned to destroy the world two years ago!"

Fixing the redhead's glare on the white-haired girl, she sarcastically remarks, "Oh, joy. Somebody recognizes us! Yay."

"But I don't understand! I thought Lucas already put an end to your group..?"

"What do you mean, 'Lucas'?" the lady furrows her eyebrows, but then flicks her fingers, "Oh, that wimp? Yeah, we disbanded after he beat us and our boss Cyrus was sent to the Distortion World. But oh well, would you mind for a little comeback?"

"You-!"

"Why are you doing this to all these Eevees?!" a third voice butts in, clearly fueled up with anger. The boy who owns Sylvester has his index finger pointed out at the trapped Pokemon, who were all struggling to get out. The lady only shook her head, that sinister smile never fading away from her face.

"Hm? Well, it's not often you get to see a wild Eevee family. And get this right, there's even a shiny in one of them! Which makes it the more precious to add in a collection, ain't it?"

"Collection?!" Aria could already feel a tick mark forming on her forehead. The redhead's statement had triggered her.

"Are Pokemon just like that to you?! Just… figurines to collect?! What's wrong with you?!"

"Release them right now!" the boy tries to convince the lady, but the latter only shook her head once more. Two more people who are wearing the same spacesuit as her- one from her left, and one from her right- have arrived. They both almost have the same hairstyle on.

"Honestly, if I were in your place, I'd back off. You meddling kids have nothing to do with this," the redhead hisses.

"As if! I'd rather stay here and battle you until you release those Pokemon!" Aria snaps back, her right fist now clenched in anger. The redhead raises her eyebrows in amusement.

"Tsk tsk. I thought you were smarter than this, but oh well. As expected from a wimp, right?" she snickers, then turns to the two 'spacemen' beside her, "Finish them, Grunts."

"Roger that, Commander Mars," they both answer in unison as they jump off of the cage, now facing the Two Trainers. In sync, they each pull out a Pokeball from the pockets in their spacesuit and toss them out in the air. The two capsules open up to reveal a Stunky and a Zubat.

What was unsuspected, though, was when the redhead lady who's apparently known as Mars, also summoned a Pokeball and sent out a Glameow. The Grunt at her left whipped his head to her in surprise.

"C-Commander?"

Placing one hand on her hip, with the other one fiddling with a remote, she smirks, "Heh, can't help it. I just want to join in the fun of beating these two up for meddling with Team Galactic."

The two Grunts nod understandingly at her to show respect at her decisions.

"Let's do this, Sylvester!"

"Sylve!"

On the other side of the field, the boy already had his Sylveon in a battle stance, his Pokemon snarling at the opponent. With a fiery look on his eyes, he stares at the trio for a while before turning to his side to face Aria, "I'll take on that Mars person and one of the Grunts, you take care of the one at the right."

"No," Aria objected straight ahead as she places a hand on the unnamed boy's shoulder. With a determined expression on her face, she smiles at him.

"We'll defeat them together."

Initially, the boy was taken a little back, but responded positively with a quick nod and returns the smile, "Mhm."

Aria withdraws her hand and steps aside to his right. She was about to reach out for one of her Pokeballs when an oh-so-familiar Flying-type Pokemon suddenly swooped down on the battlefield and let out a battle cry.

"Star Star!"

"Starly! You're okay!" the girl stares at the Starling Pokemon in relief, glad that it wasn't hurt in any way (considering that there was an 'explosion' when Starly left). She then punches the air as she exclaims eagerly, "Alright, then! Let's swamp them, Starly!"

"Starly!"

The left-side Grunt huffs, crossing his arms over his chest, "Brats. Do you really think you could win against _us_?"

"It's a 2 on 3 battle. How can you be so sure you'd win?" the other one scoffs.

"This battle could be over in just a second," Mars snickers, her one hand fiddling with a remote behind her back, "And then, you'll both be running back to the Pokemon while crying your eyeballs out."

But they were the only ones thinking they could intimidate the two youngsters.

Aria decided to take the first blow. Stretching her right arm to the side, she tells her Pokemon companion what to do, "Starly, use Tackle on Zubat!"

"Dodge and use Confuse Ray, Zubat!"

Starly tries to slam its body on the other Flying-type Pokemon, only to have the latter dodge out of the way and targeted a yellow ray at Starly.

' _Damn it, I've always hated Confuse Ray,'_ Aria curses to herself, but was left relieved to see that the boy's Sylveon have used Protect on the two of them, causing the attack to shatter. However, as soon as the transparent shield disappeared, Glameow came out from behind and used Quick Attack on Sylveon, leaving an opening for Zubat to execute another Confuse Ray on Starly. This time it hit the Starling Pokemon head-on.

"Starly! Hang in there!" Aria worriedly calls out to it as the creature sloppily lands on the ground and walks around like a drunk man, its eyes forming into swirls.

"Star…. Ly…. Staaarrrrr ~" The Pokemon now looks like it doesn't have control over its body. At this rate, it couldn't use any moves otherwise it would just hurt itself, which is pretty useless. Aria scowls at the Grunt as she thinks that the only thing she could do now is let Starly be until it snaps out of confusion. Not good.

As only a first-evolution, Starly's defenses are still weak. Aria closes her eyes, praying that it would withstand the attacks until it's finally okay… in the head.

But being a Flying-type, it comes with another advantage. So the girl takes this opportunity as she commands her Pokemon to try flying to a tree branch nearby- just when the Stunky suddenly uses Toxic on it.

Starly winces as it feels as though its power is draining out from it, slamming hard on the ground before it could even reach the branch.

"Starly!" Aria gasps at what was happening.

The redhead, Mars, steps forward and snickers at her opponents, "Hm? So, have you finally learned your place?"

"Not until I defeat you!" Aria snaps back. The device entangled between the redhead's fingers caught her attention, but she restrains herself and continues to act oblivious about it.

It went off smoothly. Mars didn't catch her looking at her hand, and still kept on glaring at Aria and the boy. Smiling deviously, Mars remarks, "Don't know when to give up, eh? Well then. Glameow, use Scratch once more."

"Glameow~!" the feline Pokemon's claws highlighted themselves, ready to attack its opponents. Aria's mind went numb as she runs out of ideas on another move, only to be saved by her Tag Team partner.

"Don't worry, I got this," the boy reassures her and steps forward. He then commands his Sylveon in a loud voice, "Sylvester, Swift!"

"Sylve!" the Intertwining Pokemon releases rays of stars from its body, hitting the three opposing Pokemon first before Glameow could make its move. In one hit, Stunky was already out, removing the Toxic hazard. Glameow quickly strikes back and dashes around Sylvester, slashing its claws on the vulnerable Starly. The Starling Pokemon lets out a weak cry as it was thrown off to the side, the poison still seeping into it.

"S-Starly!"

"Zubat, Wing Attack on Sylveon!" one of the Grunts commands the Bat Pokemon. Zubat's wings begin to flap drastically, whipping up air, and zips towards Sylvester. The latter wasn't able to dodge the attack on time as Zubat's wings come in contact with it, landing another successful hit on the Intertwining Pokemon.

' _Sylvester only has a little HP left… one more attack, and we're going to lose. I can't have Starly faint from Poison out here either, it's too much… Guess I'm left with no other choice then'_ Aria thought to herself as her hand tries to reach out for another Pokeball, before having somebody stop her.

"No, don't do it," the boy mumbles, removing her hand from her belt containing the rest of her team, "Believe in your Pokemon. Believe in Starly."

"But, at this rate, we'll lose," Aria said. The boy only shook his head, and then imitates Aria's words before they started the battle not too long ago.

"Nah. We'll defeat them together, right?"

Aria's shoulders slightly jump back at the sight of the boy's sudden determination to win. Well, not saying that he didn't intend to win at first; his actions earlier clearly stated that he's fighting hard to win so that Mars would release the Eevee family. Looking at Starly, who's now lying on the ground but still conscious, Aria begins to absorb the boy's words of confidence. There's still hope, even at a moment like this.

' _Believe in your Pokemon. Believe in Starly.'_

"Yeah, you're right," Aria turns around to face him, a determined smile creeping up to her face, "I'm very sorry for doubting Starly. And thanks for the assurance."

"No probs," the boy grins and pats Aria on her shoulders before returning back to his position to the left, "Sylvester, use Fairy Wind!"

A surge of wind with glitters surrounds the mammalian Pokemon. Its bow feelers sway with the wind and Sylvester unleashes the Special attack on Glameow. The feline was thrown back a bit from the impact, wincing in pain. But still, it stood back up on its four legs and glowers at the boy's Sylveon.

Meanwhile, Aria grabs a Full Restore from her backpack and tends to the weak Starly, letting the Pokemon consume it, the Poison finally out of its body. "It's my only Full Restore, so we better try to avoid those attacks this time," Aria whispers to it, then steps back to her place.

Amused but starting to feel irritated, Mars grimaces, "What, you still haven't learned to give up? Grunt, take out their Pokemon."

"Yes, Commander Mars," the Galactic Grunt obeys Mar's orders like a robot as he commands his Zubat to initiate another attack, "Zubat, Confuse Ray on that Sylveon!"

"Not on my watch! Starly, Quick Attack!" Aria's voice looms throughout the clearing. Even with the bruises on its body, Starly still managed to get up and rams itself towards Zubat. Being a priority move, it struck the Bat Pokemon first before it could release the Confuse Ray on Sylvester.

Aria beams at the successful hit and she fist-pumps the air in joy, "Yes! Keep the momentum going and we'll win, uhhh..?" she gives the boy a questioning look as she tilts her head slightly to the side. The boy gives off a warm-hearted laugh.

"Teehee. I'm sorry I haven't even told you my name yet. It's Lawliet."

Aria's mouth gape open in surprise as she thought of giving a comment on his name, but decided to only do it later. Instead, she tells him her name in return, "Nice! I'm Aria, but you can call me whatever you want!"

They both grin at each other before facing the situation ahead of them. Mars' Glameow uses Quick Attack on Sylveon. The Intertwining Pokemon tries to retaliate with Fairy Wind, only to have Glameow leap to the side, missing it.

The Zubat still hasn't given up on its Confuse Ray method and launches another one at Starly. The Flying-type wasn't able to avoid it on time, unfortunately. Once again, it spins around on the ground, losing control over itself (again). Zubat and Glameow then switch places.

The feline Pokemon lands a critical hit on Starly with Scratch, giving the Flying-type more bruises. On the other hand, Zubat uses Poison Fang on Sylveon, inflicting more damage than usual with Poison-type moves being super effective on the Fairy-type. Thankfully, it didn't Poison Sylvester- but it's still something to worry about. Sylvester could be out in any moment if this goes on!

Aria gapes at the Grunt's Zubat. Poison Fang is something that could only be learned by a rather strong Zubat. Actually, that move was supposed to be learned after that Pokemon evolves into a Golbat! Aria observes the Zubat quietly, finding a tiny gray stone tucked behind its wing. That must be what prevented it from evolving.

The tables were turning. Glameow was attacking Starly with one Scratch after another, making the Flying-type lose more and more HP without even having the chance to fight back. Zubat was a very hard opponent for Sylvester to handle. It'll only take about two more Poison Fangs, and bam! Lawliet's Sylveon could be out.

Satisfied, Mars observes the situation in-hand. She arrogantly announces to Aria, "Well, we've won. Give it up already, punks. We're taking these Eevees and their parents with us to our Headquarters."

Aria furrows her eyebrows in complete anger. The redhead's cocky attitude really irritates her. "Why are you acting so ahead of yourself? Look, Starly and Sylvester are still conscious. As long as they're up, we can still fight."

"Idiots," the two Grunts scoff at how their opponents are acting up.

The boy who's apparently named Lawliet wasn't at all fazed by their intimidations, although Aria had a thought of worry at the back of her mind. However, she shakes all these tiny bits of negativity off and faces Mars and the two Grunts with a confident smile adorning her face.

She gazes at her Starly companion for a quick moment before placing one hand on her hip and pointing at the battlefield, "Starly, avoid Glameow's attacks and fly up high!"

"Starr!" the Pokemon swiftly rolls out of Glameow's shining claws that were trapping it unto the ground. Glameow's instincts were quick, attempting to pounce on Starly and prevent it from escaping. But alas, the feline wasn't fast enough as the Starling Pokemon was able to glide up into the air before Glameow's menacing paws could take hold of it once more.

Lawliet took notice of this, and it was his turn to make things at least better for them. Besides, this is a battle they _must_ win. Not just any Trainer battle for fun. If they lose, harm would get in the way for the wild Eevees and their parents.

Sporting a grin that seems to be his signature act, he calls out at his Sylveon, "Sylvester, run away from Zubat! Then Fairy Wind on Glameow!"

"Sylve!" as if saying its own nickname, Sylvester dashes under the flying bat Pokemon and heads straight for the unsuspecting feline.

"Glameow, watch out!" Mars warns her Pokemon with wide anticipating eyes. Glameow jolts its head to the side, but as soon as it did, it was only inches away from the Sylveon that's surrounded by a cloud of immense Fairy-type power. Sylvester unleashes the attack on the feline at the right moment, landing a critical hit. Glameow was thrown off to the side and is now unable to battle. This made the redhead furious.

"Aargh! You bastards!" she said, throwing a fit.

Unbeknownst to them all, one particular Eevee was stealthily sneaking up behind the Team Galactic Commander. The small rectangular device has caught its attention _and_ interest. Glancing to the side, the papa Flareon and mama Leafeon were gesturing their snouts towards the redhead's held item. Black thought of this as a signal and pounces on the lady, snatching the remote away from her grasp.

"Whoo! Alright, Black!" Aria cheers in the background.

With eyes stretched as wide as the Pacific Ocean, Mars hoists herself up from the metallic bars of the cage using her two arms. Her eyes land on the device between the jaws of the growling Eevee a few feet in front of her. Putting on a calm façade, but deep inside was growing worried, Mars glares at Black with the most menacing look she could ever muster (towards a young Eevee, at that).

"Give that back."

Black shakes its head, leaping down a few feet backwards.

Her composure was slowly diminishing. Taking one step forward, she repeats her words through gritted teeth, "Give that back."

When Black puts the remote down, Mars' shoulders relax in relief. But in the blink of an eye, Black's paw was already pressed against the remote that has some buttons- which technically means, a certain button was pressed to make strange noises emanating from the vertical tube at the center of the cage. And, just like that, the cage collapsed.

Mars looks at the sight in horror, while the two teenagers across from them just laugh their butts off.

"Ahaha! You know, there's one thing you villains have to put in mind," Aria manages to say between giggles, "Don't make things too cliché."

"Like, every single time," Lawliet remarks, rolling his eyes. He flinches as he realizes what he just said, then scratches his nape, "I mean, it's not like I've experienced being a villain or anything, or came across shady guys like you before, or well, damn," he rambles.

They both laugh again and high-five each other.

The Eevee family was stuck under the rubble of iron bars, but nevertheless, the male Flareon effortlessly burns the metal. As soon as they found an opening, the mother Leafeon leads her offsprings to safety behind Aria and Lawliet before joining her mate on snarling at the opponents.

Black grabs the remote into its mouth and then throws it away with great power, causing it to break on the ground. He then happily trudges back to his Trainer with its chest puffed out, proud at what it just did. Aria kneels down when Black reached her side and ruffles its head in an affectionate way, earning her happy barks from it.

Eager to get revenge, the Flareon and Leafeon charge at full speed towards the only Pokemon left of the opposing team, Zubat. Cat caught the Grunt's tongue as he wasn't able to at least tell his Pokemon to dodge the incoming attacks. In sync, sharp leaves shoot out at the bat Pokemon and at the same time, fire collects around Flareon's fangs as it bites down on it in a vicious way. Somehow like even wanting to kill it. The Grunt stares down on his unconscious Pokemon before returning it back to its Pokeball, clearing the opponent's side of any Pokemon to battle with. Flareon and Leafeon dash back to their younglings, holding them in a protective manner.

"You're out of usable Pokemon, _Commander Mars_ ," Aria grins, emphasizing the redhead's name in mockery.

The Grunt who owns the Stunky shook his head as he stares at the two teenagers in disbelief, "Impossible! Humiliating! Losing to these wimps in front of the Commander…"

"And don't forget your Pokemon was the first one that got out," Lawliet implies in a low tone as to make sure the Grunt wouldn't hear. Yet his actions were in vain, for the Grunt was just a few feet in front of him and is now glaring in his direction.

The redhead's eyes avert towards one of the baby Eevees huddled behind the two young Trainers in front of them- the shiny one, in particular. The baby Eevee caught her eye, and looks back with fear glinting in its eyes. Dejected, she turns her heel, "You leave us no option. We will retreat for now."

She gives the shiny Eevee one last glance before finally leaving the scene with long strides. The two Grunts jolt up as one of them tries to catch up with her, almost tripping offs, "W-Wait! Commander! What about the shiny Eevee?"

Mars didn't give any reply and continues walking down the dirt path. But in that silence, comes with something that they aren't fully aware of…

The second Grunt gazes at the vanishing figures of his two colleagues, then turns back to face the two teenagers that are most likely going to be in Team Galactic's blacklist. Being a Grunt, his expressions were void of any emotion (other than anger), like they were always told to. He was about to go too when he abruptly stops walking. Words left his mouth without him turning around.

"You kids may have beginner's luck, but next time you'll be facing all of Team Galactic," he hisses, with much venom as possible, "For now, we shall leave you be because Team Galactic is benevolent to all." Was all he said before disappearing into the shadows.

"Excuse me? Benevolent?! Pssssh, more like the opposite of it!" Aria fusses as she randomly flings her arms in the air, about to go after the retreating bunch. Lawliet holds her back from executing her intentions, trying to calm her down. She eventually stops moving around and behaves in her place, but still enraged over what the last Grunt had just said.

The three baby Eevees and their parents all get out from hiding, showing up in front of the duo. Flareon and Leafeon both bow their heads down to express gratitude. The three Eevees beside them, being adorably clueless as to what their parents are doing, nonetheless imitates their actions and bow their heads down as well.

Aria's face flushes with red, embarrassed at all the respect and attention the wild Pokemon were giving them. Lawliet could only scratch his nape sheepishly. On the other hand, Black didn't understand what his fellow kind were doing and instead tries to play around with the baby Eevees. Sylvester stood by his Trainer, staring at the other Pokemon. Starly was still on the tree branch nearby, observing the situation down below.

"Leafe! Leafeon."

"Flare Flare."

Lawliet kneels down to reach their height, "Ahaha! It's nothing, really! Just make sure you're always vigilant to the dangers around here, especially since one of your children is a shiny. A lot of other Trainers are after those kinds."

"Flareon," the father of the Eevees nods his head understandingly.

Aria reaches down to their level as well, giving Flareon and Leafeon an appreciative smile, "Actually, I have to thank you guys too! Parents would usually abandon their shiny offspring in the wild, seeing that they're always targeted by predators. But you kept this little one…

"And I'm truly grateful for that," her hand reach out to the creature's shimmering pale white fur, giving it a soft pat on its head. She then remembers what she was supposed to tell Lawliet before Team Galactic arrived, so she turns to him with a big grin adorning her face, "Oh, which also reminds me! Lawliet!

"What is it?" the boy asks.

"Thanks a bunch for looking after Black!" she exclaims happily. Lawliet returns the smile.

"Same to you, too! Thanks for taking care of Sylvester while I wasn't around!"

 _~Timeskip~_

The sun was scorching hot, but the trees helped the two Trainers continue their way down on Route 202's dirt path that leads towards one of Sinnoh's biggest asphalt jungles. When they both found out from each other that they're actually going on the same path, they thought, why not go together?

It's been about three hours since the events with Team Galactic and the Eevee family. Aria and Lawliet would rest their feet every now and then, and occasionally being challenged in dual battles.

They won every single one, much to their astonishment.

And, having both of them being rather… loud and hyperactive, they matched each other's personalities. They chatted on and on like two friends who have known each other since forever, updating each other as to what was happening in their life.

Turns out, Lawliet just arrived from the Johto region last night and went from the Jubilife Airport to Sandgem Town in order to meet Professor Rowan (and was also hoping the old man would give him a Starter Pokemon). However, since he's already travelling with three Pokemon, the Professor thought it'd be pointless to give him a "Starter". After hearing this, Aria swallowed a lump in her throat, remembering back to how Professor Birch gave her Mudkip as a Starter Pokemon without knowing that she already owns a Metang.

Black and Sylvester are getting along pretty good as well. Being the playful Eevee that he is, Black would never get tired of leaping around the composed Sylveon and engaging itself into a conversation with Sylvester. Of course, they were speaking in Pokemon language.

Somehow, Starly has grown some sort of connection with the black-haired boy, seeing as how it would often want to stay locked in his arms while they were pacing down the path. Aria would joke that maybe he has power that draws affection from Pokemon, which is the reason why Sylvester evolved into a Sylveon. She has already told him that she doesn't actually own the Starling Pokemon, which astounds the boy even more. He was already amazed at how perfectly she and Starly worked together when they were battling Team Galactic.

While Aria was rambling about how she would like to meet at least one Legendary Pokemon in her life, she halted when she noticed that this time, Lawliet wasn't paying attention to what she's been saying. Flustered at the fact that she was talking to practically just air, she hung her head low and bluntly admitted, "I'm so embarrassed."

Her sudden low voice snapped Lawliet out of his thoughts, making him raise a quizzical eyebrow at her, "Hm? What's wrong?"

Aria sweat drops, "Seriously…?"

"What?"

"Nevermind," the girl facepalms, but then noticed that Lawliet was spacing out again, his eyes wandering off to nowhere. Jogging up ahead of him, Aria extended both of her arms sideways to block his path. Good thing that he can still pick up on his senses, seeing how he ceased his steps when he saw that Aria was in front of him.

"Eh?"

"You seem to be deep in thought. What's the matter?" she asked without putting her arms down. Well, at least not yet.

He absentmindedly stroked the feathers on Starly's round head, his fingers gracing particularly the tuft protruding from the top of it. He looks down on the Starling Pokemon as he spoke, "It's just that, we're getting farther and farther away from where you found Starly, but he's still coming with us. You aren't going to put him inside a Pokeball or anything?"

"No... I don't think Starly would be too happy with that," she replied, also petting the Flying-type. Lawliet looks at her in slight confusion.

"Eeh? But why? You two were awesome when we were battling against those Team Galactic dudes back there!"

Aria shrugs nonchalantly, "I don't know. It's like… Starly's waiting for something to happen to him while he's with me. But not in a bad way, of course!"

"Ahaha! Don't worry, I get it, I get it!" the boy chuckles, waving his hand like he was brushing something off, "What I've been thinking about is that… will this go on forever?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, will he just go with you on your journey, experiencing battles, challenging Gyms and the League… even if he isn't inside a Pokeball?" he told her. His words were well thought-out, but the white-haired girl already had her answer- well, more like a planned demonstration.

"Look," she said, grabbing an extra Pokeball from her backpack. Lawliet immediately got what she was trying to do and put down the sleeping Starly on the patch of grass.

Hoisting up the Pokeball in the air, she tosses the round capsule towards the Starling Pokemon. It bounced off of it and encompassed its body in a bright red, only to have it stir awake at the contact of the Pokeball. In anticipation, Lucas watched the entire scene in front of him unfold.

But the outcome was far different from what he had thought it would be. The red light that was slowly sucking Starly into the confines of the Pokeball broke into pieces. As usual during an unsuccessful catch, the Pokeball vanished before Starly could attempt to break it in anger.

"Star Star Star!" with its hostility triggered, the Normal-/Flying-type rages and randomly uses moves everywhere. Black tried to approach him in order to calm him down, only to have the Eevee hit by a full-powered Tackle. Being an inexperienced battler, Black took huge damage from the hit and was pushed backward, but still managed to stand up. Sylvester dashed in front of the injured Eevee, protecting the young Pokemon from further attacks from the enraged Starly.

Lawliet quickly scooped Starly back into his arms before any damage could be taken from Starly's fit. He stroked his head once more, eventually ceasing his struggles and went back to slumber. After picking up Black, Aria sighs.

"See what I mean?"

The lad's eyes dropped, with some sort of disappointment visible in his features, "Yeah… I'm sorry. My question led to getting someone hurt."

"Nah, it's fine! Isn't that right, Blacky boi?" Aria glances at the baby Eevee who's now clinging on her shoulder, earning a nod and a happy bark from him as if he wasn't even hurt by Starly's Outrage, "He will eventually recover after a while. Besides, it was my idea to show you why Starly doesn't want me to be his Trainer."

"Starly was even asleep when you threw the Pokeball at him, but still broke out."

"Tee hee, yeah."

Aria modestly flashed a smile, giggling soon after. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind as she raises her index finger in the air like some scientist who just got a genius notion.

"Ah! I know! What if it's you who tries to capture it?"

Lawliet jumped back at her sudden burst of energy as Aria still kept the smile on and is now looking at him expectantly. He shook his head at her suggestion, "H-Huh? No!"

"Aw, c'mon! Why not?" she insisted, her eyes still gleaming, "You and Starly have already formed a bond! I'm sure you could do it!"

"Aria! Of course I can't do it! You were the first one to meet Starly, and you weren't even able to capture him! How much more if it's _me_?" Lawliet protested, taking another step backward as the girl in front of him took another step forward.

Unfazed by his constant whining, Aria playfully slapped his shoulders, "Hey hey! What's the harm in trying?"

"Starly will use Outrage again…"

"Nope! I'll make sure that won't happen again! Now gooo!" she went behind him, pushing him in the middle of the dirt path. She carefully picked up the sleeping Starly from his arms and put the Pokemon's body on the ground once again. Giving Lawliet a reassuring grin, she stepped to the side to let him have some space for the capture process.

He could run away, with him being an experienced Pokeathlete back in Johto and all, but that would be just plain rude. Looking to his side, he finds Aria doing a little cheer dance with Eevee mimicking her behavior beside her. Seeing as he was left with no other choice, his hand reached out inside his bag and got himself an Ultra Ball- his only Ultra Ball.

Positioning himself into a stance as if throwing a javelin, with the rather expensive Pokeball in hand, he inhaled three deep breaths. Aria and Black were still cheering in the background. Eyeing his target, Lawliet was wondering how the little thing managed to sleep even with all the noise going on around it. The boy shook all of his thoughts away as he hoisted the Ultra Ball up, like Aria just did not too long ago, but his movements were more precision and sharp than hers.

Then, the black-haired lad expertly hurled the round capsule into the air. The suspense was too much to bear that everything else seems to be in slow motion. During every millisecond that passed, Aria's watchful eyes followed the capsule as it gradually makes contact with the sleeping Starly's figure. The capsule opened up. Swirls of bright yellow light enveloped the Pokemon, bringing him into the confines. The Ultra Ball fell on the ground.

It wobbled once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Three tiny stars show up around the capsule, signifying that it was a successful catch.

• **°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°**

 **Someone's POV**

The flat screen television kept my bedroom lit as another show was on live, but I didn't pay attention to it at all.

Something else kept me preoccupied.

I stared at the piece of paper hanging on the wall while I impatiently tapped my foot on the tiled floor. I've been checking on the calendar almost all the time even though I'm fully aware what day it currently is.

It feels as though everything's just a dream. I couldn't contain my excitement any longer as I reached for the Jolteon by my bed and hugged her tightly, alarming the poor Pokemon. She didn't protest though. I have this silly grin on my face and my whole body felt restless.

I swear this is first time I've ever felt this tingly and thrilled for what's to come tomorrow. Well, I already know what will happen but then negative thoughts drifted into my mind. What if something goes wrong? What if somebody catches us?

Like I would usually do whenever I get nervous, I bit on my fingernails. My foot was still tapping on the floor while I squeezed Alexandria like a stuffed toy. She purred and leaned her head against my arm. I just sat there in silence as more and more thoughts swarmed my head until a knock was heard from the other side of the door.

I looked up, "Come in."

After hearing my consent, the hinges of the door creaked as it opened up a little to reveal an all-too-familiar lady whose blonde hair was neatly tucked into a bun. She gazed at the television first, and when she looked at me her features softened. Her hand reached out for the switch, turning the lights on.

"My lady," she bowed as she gave me a warm smile, "It's already late. You should take a rest." Her eyes landed on the television, seeing a particular lime-haired Pokemon idol on the screen. I didn't even notice that my favorite show was on.

"Do you mind if I turn it off?" she asked. I shook my head while smiling, my grip on the Jolteon loosening.

"I wasn't watching it at all."

"Alright," she said as her hand reached out behind the TV, turning it off, I tucked myself under the comforter and found comfort on my bed. Alexandria growled softly and went under the covers as well, snuggling herself against me. She's so warm.

"Good night, milady" Lillian said as she stood by the doorframe.

"Good night, Miss Lillian," I giggled and covered half of my face with the comforter.

Before she finally turned the lights off and left, she smiled at me, "Sleep tight, milady. You have a long day tomorrow."

The room turned a deep shade of black from my eyesight, but the moonlight shone through the windows and illuminated some areas of the room. I grinned.

 _Oh, a long day indeed._

 **-episode end, unedited-**

• **°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°**

 **Geeezzzz! I'm really confused with switching between "it" and "him" as pronouns for the Pokemon... Also confused if I'm going to use the past tense or present tense… I really have to fix those… _ Gomenasai!**

 **I still haven't decided for Lawliet's appearance because I haven't drawn his character concept… yet. Ahaha! Just keep in mind though that he's your sporty/fashionista type of guy (don't know how that would work lol). :D**

 **PS. Mars is short. lelelelz fff**

 **See y'all in the next chapter! *cue Markiplier* Buh-bye! ^^**


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